GRiZ

To his friends and family, he goes by Grant Kwiecinski, the 28-year-old kid from north Detroit who grew up on a healthy diet of American funk, golden-age hip-hop, and dance music; the curious producer who first began making future-forward music during his formative years at Michigan State University, only to permanently abandon the classroom for the dance floor; and the fun-loving dude who’s the life of the party at every damn party. To the rest of the world, his name is GRiZ, the multifaceted artist who’s funkin’ up dance floors worldwide with his self-described future funk sound, which mixes electronic music with his fiery live saxophone, energetic funk, and sweeping electro-soul.

As 2018 comes to a close, GRiZ is gearing up for his newest musical projects: On November 1, GRiZ will release the double-single ‘It Gets Better’, featuring multi-platinum, GRAMMY-nominated rapper and singer DRAM, and ‘Can’t Get Enough,’ which features Kwiecinski’s own vocals for the first time ever. GRiZ has remained one of the leading independent artists in electronic music throughout the years, from his 2011 debut album to his breakout album Good Will Prevail (September 2016), which debuted at #1 on the iTunes Electronic chart and charted on the Billboard 200 charts—an impressive feat for a free release.

A champion of the live electronic landscape, GRiZ’s live show is a spectacle unto itself. His live performances—which mix improvised saxophone, guitar, vocals and more overt booming basslines and head-knocking drops—have become massive draws around the world. In addition to mainstage performances at major festivals such as Bonnaroo, Lollapalooza and Outside Lands, and headlining sets at Electric Forest and Lightning in a Bottle, GRiZ has headlined and sold out the legendary Red Rocks Amphitheatre in Denver for four consecutive years and counting. He also debuted the 15-piece GRiZ Live Band at the iconic venue in 2017. Elsewhere, his annual run of GRiZMAS shows at Detroit Masonic Temple have sold out every year since launching in 2014. He has also donated $200,000 to various charities via his coinciding 12 Days of GRiZMAS series that helps fund music education programs within public schools across the greater Detroit area.

Sax man. Producer. DJ. Musician. Label owner. GRiZ is all of the above—and then some. But beyond everything, GRiZ is the shining force of positivity who’s here to teach the world how to do one thing: Show Love, Spread Love. It’s the driving mantra that’s come to define the core of everything GRiZ.

“I’m just here to spread good vibes, my friends,” the jovial producer says. “It all comes down to spreading the good word and sharing the love.”